If you like eggs for breakfast, you may wonder where they come from. Most of the eggs we eat, however, are from hens that live their entire lives in extremely cramped cages known as battery cages. That’s not a good life for chickens, and it can also be bad for us, the ones eating the eggs. This article will explain more about battery cages and the grave problem they pose for chickens as well as humans.
Egg laying (battery) hens are kept in a special type of cage called a battery cage. The cages are typically made of wire and placed on top of each other, resulting in multiple layers of cages in a large structure. Each one is tiny, often only slightly larger than the hen who lives inside. This means there is insufficient space for the hens to stand up, turn around or even flap their wings. In these cages, hens are unable to perform basic behaviors, like scratching at the ground or resting on a perch, both of which are normal for chickens.
Perhaps the biggest issue is that being in battery cages prevents hens from engaging in behaviors that enable them to feel happy and healthy. For instance, they’re unable to take dust baths, a behavior chickens do love. They also cannot mix, or hang out with other chickens, which is so vital to their well-being. Their only option is to sit in a small cage with nothing to amuse them. These can cause problems physically, and in turn emotionally. “Hens are social animals and they need to interact with other chickens and range to be healthy and flourish.
Hens are born and are nursed by farmers until they mature and can begin producing eggs. Once they get to this age, they’re moved to battery cages, where they will remain for the rest of their lives. Their only task is to lay eggs in these cages. Farmers give them food and water to keep them alive and to support them in laying as many eggs as possible.
But hens raised in battery cages don’t have the opportunity to experience their full natural lifespan. Chickens can live for as long as 10 years if cared for properly, but hens in battery cages are typically slaughtered much earlier — after just two years. As hens age, their egg production declines, and farmers may no longer consider them profitable. This means that millions of hens are slaughtered each year for naught but the fact that they are no longer producing enough eggs to justify the cost of keeping them.
The price of battery hens is much greater — and spans much more than simply the pain they endure. It can also have potential implications for human health and the environment. Congested, filthy living conditions in battery cages allow disease to spread. And sometimes, diseases can cross to people — zoonotic disease — which presents a threat to human health.
Factory farms, such as those utilizing battery cages, generate significant amounts of waste, in addition to health complications; these farms are capable of jeopardizing the environment. The waste could contaminate rivers, lakes, and soil, rendering it dangerous for plants, animals and humans. The gases emitted by these farms contribute climate change, which has impact across the globe.
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